Decades ago, concerts used to be a simple and cheap activity for anyone to enjoy. If someone was bored on a Saturday night, they could drive to their local venue to see who was playing. Now, concerts have turned into a whole production. When planning for a concert, there are always essential things to remember. Nowadays, tickets are bought months in advance to score the cheapest prices. After that, prices will change depending on the day and it can be hard to tell when it is the right time to buy them from a reseller. After tickets are bought, it is important to consider travel time, parking, the time the doors open, the length of merch lines, food and more. In order to get the most out of a concert experience, consider creating a timeline.
Some concerts can be very far away distance wise, so travel is involved. For example, if the concert is five hours away, it may be best to drive there the night before and stay in a hotel. This way, there is no need to worry about any complications like bad weather or traffic. On the day of the concert, there is more time to get ready in the morning instead of driving for hours and rushing later. If the concert venue is only an hour or so away, it is easy just to drive there the day of the show. Always get ready before leaving because getting ready in a car can be hard. When figuring out what time to go by, take into account what time the doors open and if there are any plans to eat dinner. For example, if the doors open at 6 p.m., eat dinner around 4 p.m. This allows time to enjoy dinner no matter how slow the service is, drive to the venue, and find a place to park. By leaving earlier, the day doesn’t have to be rushed. Although some people may not want to eat before, concerts are long, so it’s crucial to fuel up while you can.
When arriving at a venue, parking can be unpredictable. Whether it’s a parking garage, the venue owned parking lot, or a grocery store nearby, it can take some time to find an option. Researching the parking situation beforehand can be helpful to get a general idea of what to expect. Sometimes parking garages can be expensive, but they might be the only option available, especially if it’s a busy area. It is always vital to remember the exact parking spot before leaving for the concert to quickly find the car later.
Once at the venue, immediately find the line to get in the door. After more people arrive, the line can get very long. Getting there earlier allows for more free time later. Once the doors open, it is best to get in the merchandise line immediately. Those lines can also get long over time, so again, the earlier there, the better. By securing merchandise early, one avoids the feeling of disappointment if something were to sell out later.
After buying merch, there should still be plenty of time to do miscellaneous tasks. This includes standing in lines for snacks or the bathroom, taking plenty of photos to remember the night and exploring the venue for fun stands they may have set up. Having time to do these things makes for a better concert experience. There is even time to sit down and enjoy the opener when they go on. Some people are still waiting outside to get in. The openers enjoy it when they have a packed crowd to perform for. Thankfully, these options are available because the whole day was planned and on schedule.
Planning a day makes or breaks a concert experience. Why rush if there are ways to avoid being late? Enjoying time with friends or family during a concert creates great memories. Planning out the day allows for wiggle room if anything were to happen, still ensuring the best experience. Concerts have become very expensive, and not taking advantage of everything they have to offer may not make it worth it. Timelines have changed the concert game, and everyone should adopt the process of making one.
Example:
1:30: Leave for ____
The earlier you leave, the more time you have to do stuff beforehand like eating or exploring the area.
3:30 – 5: Dinner at ____
Leaving an hour and a half for dinner may be excessive, but it allows time if anything were to happen like slow service or a long wait before being seated.
5:30: Stand in line
Securing a good spot in the line to enter is essential because it allows time for activities inside the venue.
6:00: Doors open
As soon as the doors open, find a merch stand and wait in that line before things start to sell out. The earlier, the shorter the line.
6:30: Get merchandise
After buying merchandise, there is plenty of time to take photos, get any snacks, go to the bathroom, explore the venue, and more.
7:30: Opener goes on
Because everything was done beforehand, there’s plenty of time to sit down and enjoy the opener.
9: Concert starts
Enjoy the concert!
